mullein seeds

I have a common mullein plant (verbascum thapsus) that grows along my driveway it consistently produces a plant over 6 feet tall. This year it I have gathered the seeds if anyone is interested.

I am interested in growing some mullen here in south GA. I usta grow it when I lived in NC. Please let me know how to obtain.

This plant grows rampant in exposed oil, and stony areas such as riverbeds here in southern New Zealand.

Does this plant offer any of the mulching benefits of comfrey?

I haven't used it as mulch myself. the stocks I do throw in the compost pile.
In my area I do not have slugs but have heard that the fuzzy leaves repel them effectively. I guess I'll have my daughter try them to see if it solves her slug problem in the Vancouver area.

I think this may very well be the best movie ever about mullein:

Robert Ray wrote:
I have a common mullein plant (verbascum thapsus) that grows along my driveway it consistently produces a plant over 6 feet tall. This year it I have gathered the seeds if anyone is interested.

I would love seeds if you still have.

ellen

Holy thapsus.

If anyone wants to buy seeds, PM me.

I haz dem.

i could use some mullein seeds as well, pm me?

Just be careful to keep those seeds away from fish ponds! Mullein was imported to N. America to be used as a fish poison.

THANK YOU FOR THE SEEDS
they just got in, i had no idea how tiny they were
and you were very generous, theres a bunch of seeds in this lil packet, thank you!

I have about 40 of these growing right now that I plan to harvest soon.  I heard Jack Spirko once talk about how some unscrupulous people use the seeds to stun fish (they float to the top).  Illegal of course. Anybody ever heard of this?

I see it on irrigation pond banks in the area.

The leaves mixed with plantain helped me abandon smoking a few decades back. The [moist] mullen made the plantain smokable in my corn cob pipe.  One pipe load and, surprisingly, I didn't crave a smoke for several hours.

I used to give the mix to others who complained of wanting to quit smoking, but they just wasted it, every time, so I quit bothering.

Kelly yeah I see it all over the place. I have heard smoking it is actually really good for you. Back in the day they see it to cure tuberculosis.

I am interested in this plant.
I want to add that apparently the kind of mullein you have in the US looks quite different to the kind we have here in Israel (and probably elsewhere0
This is a pic of what my local mullein flowers look like (from wikipedia)

By Alvesgaspar - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2643648

Jumping in.here. I harvest mullein for the root, as well as the leaves and flowers. My current monster mullein is over 8' tall! See attached photo.

I use the root to make an ointment for lower back pain. It is extremely hard, even when pulled in the spring of the 2nd year.

A heavy, sharp and thick knife can force-split the thick pieces of the root apart. I have some root that are simply to hard to split by hand.

I'm looking for a permit with a good grinder - not a Ninja-type! - to run a small quantity of root through. I will pay for shipping both ways and gift you with our Arnica & Calendula ointment [comfrey (leaf), arnica (flower), calendula (flower)] for about 5 minutes of grinding. Don't need powder, just a grind into smaller pieces.

I've got root now to grind. Message me if interested. See www.catskillsComfrey.com. fwiw, I'm in upstate NY.

Spirits.

Seth J Hersh

Mullein flowers infused in olive oil make the most effective remedy for earaches.  A few drops in the ear are antiseptic and instantly kill pain.  A more advanced version adds garlic, but expect to be very smelly.

I haven’t seen mullein root, but I used a hand crank corona type mill to grind chaga mushrooms to a granular texture.  They’re like chunks of wood to start with, and the only other way I know of, to break them is hitting them with a hammer, and the paper bag I wrap them in gets destroyed.  No more of that for me!

I dunno if it would grind the mullein root, but maybe😊

Bloomah Simkin wrote:I am interested in this plant.
I want to add that apparently the kind of mullein you have in the US looks quite different to the kind we have here in Israel (and probably elsewhere0
This is a pic of what my local mullein flowers look like (from wikipedia)

By Alvesgaspar - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2643648

We also have a very similar mullein, Verbascum blattaria, here in North America, the common name is moth mullein.  I have both kinds, V. blattaria and V. thapsus, in perfusion on my farm in South-Eastern Washington state. I have attached a pic of V. blat growing in a weedy spot in my yard.

IF I was trying to grind a lot of the root, because I'm a woodshop guy with about eleven routers, I'd take advantage of my jig making experience and a trim router:

(1) I'd buy an inexpensive, variable speed trim router, if I was dedicating it to this. A better one, like a Bosch Colt or a Porter Cable, if I was going to use it for light router work too.

(2) I'd build a base for the router. On a wild guess, it'd be about 5"x5" (dead LED monitor screens are a great source for 1/4" thick plastic for the base).  The original router base plate would give me the hole pattern I needed to, SLOWLY, drill mounting holes.  The bit hole for the base would depend on the size of the bit I used. I'd stay around 1" and plan on no larger than a 1/2" cup bit

(3)  I'd build a box, which would just have the top open and just big enough to let the router base drop inside. The box would be like what you'd see under one of the old coffee grinders. 1/4" strips just down ABOUT 1/2" on the inside would act as a stop for the base to rest on.

(4) To feed roots, I'd use a PVC tube. Say a 1/2" inner diameter, which would require any large roots to be split, so they could be fed into the tube (shute).

(5) I'd cut a wedge of wood, SOMEWHERE in the range of 3/4" wide, the length of the PVC and somewhere between 1/4" and 3/8" thick at its thickest. These I'd "Superglue" to the underside of the base with the idea of guiding the root into the spinning bit.

(6) I'd make a tamper from a dowel. It would stop about 1/4" from the bit, when fully inserted. A temporary stop could be made from a nail.

(7) You'd have to cut a hole for the PVC feed at the top of the box. It may be a round rasp [and some significant elbow grease would get the job done. Some would drilling, if a piece of scrap wood were butted against the box and locked in place, until the hole is made (e.g., clamps, tape, or hot glue dabs).

To run it, I'd wear eye protection, at least until it was known how much of a monster this thing is.

The higher the speed, the smoother the small bit should cut.

Seth Hersh wrote:Jumping in.here. I harvest mullein for the root, as well as the leaves and flowers. My current monster mullein is over 8' tall! See attached photo.

I use the root to make an ointment for lower back pain. It is extremely hard, even when pulled in the spring of the 2nd year.

A heavy, sharp and thick knife can force-split the thick pieces of the root apart. I have some root that are simply to hard to split by hand.

I'm looking for a permit with a good grinder - not a Ninja-type! - to run a small quantity of root through. I will pay for shipping both ways and gift you with our Arnica & Calendula ointment [comfrey (leaf), arnica (flower), calendula (flower)] for about 5 minutes of grinding. Don't need powder, just a grind into smaller pieces.

I've got root now to grind. Message me if interested. See www.catskillsComfrey.com. fwiw, I'm in upstate NY.

Spirits.

Seth J Hersh

Kelly - I like your ideas.  I'm not a router guy, but soon I will have to start using one to round off the wood railing tops to replace the rotten planks on the railing that surrounds my deck.

I wonder if a powerful wheat grinder would work.  Probably not since it would be difficult to feed the root into the machine.

I have a powerful electric grain mill… stone burr wheels or plates, the grinding surfaces are “stone”.

I thought about using it to grind the chaga mentioned above, but the feed holes where the grain trickles through are only big enough for grain.  I could probably put the chaga granules through it, but what would be the point.

The corona mill has a large augur that carries the material to be ground towards the grinding plates.  First the augur slices or peels some of the chaga (very like wood with no grain or growth plates) off the chunk, then that material goes into the space between the grinding plates (this distance is adjustable)

I haven’t seen felt or experienced mullein root, but it’s hard to imagine something tougher than the chaga.

More photos of the herradura mill

I am interested in seeds if still available

First off I LOVED this mullein movie…really great & good info. Hoping to begin harvesting the mullein flowers & leaves I’ve got. Thank you for posting!

This is my favorite mullein video because it has some more practical info re: using herbal properties.

https://youtu.be/NpPNswcrvi8

I have been using mullein medicinally for several years now and am a sworn believer.  I have chronic lung issues post pneumonia + severe reaction to inhaler that caused a pleural effusion, etc. Mullein has helped me more than any traditional medicine. The mucilogenous qualities make it soooo soothing and you can feel it working its magic on you.  When I am having trouble breathing I make mullein tea (I use fresh leaves because I always have it growing, but dry works, too.)  I take it when I get sick, too, and it seems to shorten the duration and severity. Do some googling and you will see there is clinical research showing it is antibacterial and antiviral, especially effective against influenza.  It has been used so widely for so many hundreds of years it is generally considered safe.  (I won't use just any herbal that hasn't been properly vetted.) I have also used the ear oil, both with and without garlic, and yes, it really works.  Used it earlier this summer for a bad case of swimmer's ear that was turning into an infection and it knocked it right out.

A few important things: some people are sensitive to the hairs. They say to make sure you REALLY strain it when taking internally. I steep for 30 min, then pour through coffee filter and really squeeze out to get the good stuff. But I gave some to a friend and her husband got terribly itchy throat from it despite careful straining, so make sure you try a little first to make sure it is right for you.  Also, I have not read this anywhere, but I have noticed that when I am drinking it in larger/more regular quantities that it thins my blood a little, so I would recommend being cautious if you have any issues or meds related to blood thinning.  As far as smoking, it can be helpful if you are already a smoker, but I would not recommend taking it that way otherwise (because you are still getting smoke).

Permie-wise, I have started using it as ground cover. I have had a hard time getting anything established in many areas of my high desert rocky soil.  But mullein volunteers, so it made sense to go with the flow. The hairs protect it from harsh sun and drying winds, so it is ridiculously tough. It's also sooo pretty.  I just crumble the dried stalks around and I have baby mullein popping up everywhere. I will harvest a bunch and let the rest nurture the soil. Comfrey is not good in a desert setting, so I think of mullein as desert comfrey.  It might not do everything, but it certainly does enough.  It is one of my favorite plants ever. So much love and gratitude for mullein!

I can probably scare up seeds for those who need them,  so PM me if you do. I have scattered most dried stalks around, now, but there are a couple left. :)

I include the leaves in my foraging for my rabbits.   They love it and often select it first out of the pile of greens.   Only clover seems to be preferred to mullein.

She's a beast!

Other things I looked at in my schemes were the groove bits for a doing tongue-and-groove cuts.  Mounted side by side, with spacers, one could operate a unit built like one of those beasts that eat tires, dishwashers. . . .


Oh, and I just built a fenced to contain our not-cattle (woofers). When I did the braces between posts, I cut the top at a couple degrees, so water would run off, rather than sit on the horizontal sections.

On my deck. ALL the the vertical posts get a couple degrees, so the top rail sits at an angle, because pooling water is a deck's biggest enemy (next to my dog (the things he can chew)).  TOO!  Try to mount the top railing from the bottom, rather than holes through the top. Now matter how good a job you think you did caulking, that is the weak, rot spot. On the other hand, if you can drill pocket holes from the bottom, there will be no holes for water to seep into and rest and freeze (expand) in.

Charles Kelm wrote:Kelly - I like your ideas.  I'm not a router guy, but soon I will have to start using one to round off the wood railing tops to replace the rotten planks on the railing that surrounds my deck.

I wonder if a powerful wheat grinder would work.  Probably not since it would be difficult to feed the root into the machine.

I want to share a picture of a beautiful Mullein that popped up atop a large hugelkulture.

Hey folks, I'm looking for some common mullein seeds to plant in the fall or in the spring of next year, cause there are some great uses for it as toliet paper, medicine and stuff like that. If anybody has any mullien plants, please let me know on this box and then folks can speak to me in private about my interest. Have a good morning.